Country Circumstances
by aubzdall
Summary: Six years after returning from San Lorenzo, Arnold has hardly enough time to unpack before he's forced to spend his summer in the country with his cousin, Arnie. Meanwhile, at the request of Doctor Bliss, Helga is also stuck spending her summer in the country with her cousin, Hilda, to elevate stress. However, circumstances force Helga's stress free holiday into madness.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Shortman, I'm sure it won't be that bad." Arnold's grandfather said encouragingly to his grandson, who was sulking and staring out the passenger seat window.

It took Arnold a moment to realize that his grandpa had spoken to him. He perked up a few seconds after his sentence was finished. "Huh?"

Grandpa Phil laughed full heartedly. "Really not looking forward to seeing your cousin, aye Shortman?"

Arnold's face fell. It had been six years since he'd left Hillwood to live in the jungle with his parents and the Green Eye's. He didn't regret his choice in the slightest. He'd gotten to know his parents and learned all about plants and medicine, different cultures, and almost everything in between from his mom and dad. In the process they had grown close and become the family he had always wanted as a kid. Still, when his mother got pregnant with his baby sibling, he was thrilled to discover that he would be going back home to Hillwood. For good. Unfortunately, he'd only been home for less than two days when he discovered that his cousin Arnie had arranged for the two of them to have a visit. The longest visit they'd ever had.

In short, the summer Arnold had been planning on spending getting reconnected with his friends and getting used to life back in the city would be spent out in the country.

With Arnie.

"You could say it's not exactly what I had in mind." Arnold replied coolly, doing his best to not pout.

Phil laughed, "Well if it makes you feel any better you'd be having even _less _fun where your parents are going."

Arnold forced a smile, "Yeah, I guess you're right, Grandpa. Are you sure you can't stay with us for a few days? I've really missed you and it would be a lot funner than looking at Arnie's lintballs."

With a laugh, grandpa Phil roughly tousled Arnold's already messy hair, "And leave the boarding house to your grandma and the boarders? The entire place would either burn to the ground or explode if I stay away for too long."

Arnold laughed at this, "Yeah I guess you're right."

A few more minutes passed before Phil smiled mischievously, "So Shortman, I was thinking maybe in a week or two I can plan a daytrip and bring all your little friends here. What do you think?"

Arnold perked up, "Really grandpa? That would be great!"

Phil snickered, "Yeah I bet you're most excited to see your little friend with the one eyebrow."

Arnold's smile faltered, "Helga?"

"Yeah, that's the one!" Phil exclaimed.

Arnold frowned and stared out the window. "I'm sure she wouldn't want to come grandpa." Arnold sighed as he recalled his last encounter with Helga. He had kissed her in the jungle and they'd been interrupted by Gerald. After that he said that he would write to her. And he did. Once a week, sometimes more. Still, she never wrote back.

Phil frowned, "You know, maybe it was because she was sad."

"What?" Arnold turned from the window and cocked a brow at his grandfather.

"Maybe she didn't return your letters because she was sad." Phil repeated himself.

Arnold rolled his eyes, "I seriously doubt that, grandpa." He made a confused face when his grandpa pulled into a driveway that wasn't Arnie's. "Um…grandpa, where are we going?"

"I'm lost so we're asking for directions." Phil retorted.

Arnold laughed, "Okay grandpa."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Helga released a long sigh and glanced wistfully at her father for what must have been the dozenth time.

Bob gave her a sideways glare, "Don't you get started again little lady."

Helga released an annoyed groan and collapsed against the back of her seat staring into the rearview mirror of her father's Cadillac to the old blue car that her sister and mother were following in. The old blue car had been her sixteenth birthday present. Rhonda had made snotty comments about it being a hand-me-down, but Helga didn't care. She loved her car. Not only did it mean she was one of her few friends with a set of wheels, but it was also, in her eyes, proof of just how much her family life had improved since her parents had agreed on family therapy with Doctor Bliss. She scowled for a second when Doctor Bliss came to mind. If it wasn't for her therapist she'd be spending her summer with her friends, writing with Sid and Stinky and going on the occasional awkward double date with Gerald and Phoebe. "Alright, fine, dad. Can I at least hook up my ipod?"

He shrugged, "Whatever."

Helga smiled as she plugged in her device.

_Another summer day has come and gone away_

_In Paris and Rome but I wanna go home._

"Skip it." Bob said shortly.

Helga shrugged and obeyed.

_Oh won't you take me home tonight_

_Down beside the red fire light_

Bob gritted his teeth. "Helga."

Helga rolled her eyes and skipped the song.

To her surprise, the next song had nothing to do with home at all. Still…she couldn't skip this song. It would have been like blasphemy. She smirked at her did and he smirked back. One thing Helga discovered she had in common with her dad was a love for hair bands. He started tapping one of his fingers against the steering wheel and Helga freed her hair from the low pigtails she wore, shaking her tresses loose to hang past her shoulders. As the song played, they sang along, screaming to keep up with the lyrics.

_When I get high _

_I get high on speed _

_Top fuel funny car's _

_A drug for me _

_My heart, my heart _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Always got the cops _

_Coming after me _

_Custom built bike doing 103 _

_My heart, my heart _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Ooh, are you ready girls? _

_Ooh, are you ready now? _

_Ooh, yeah _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Give it a start _

_Ooh, yeah, baby _

_Ooh, yeah _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Hope it never stops _

_Ooh, yeah, baby _

_Skydive naked _

_From an aeroplane _

_Or a lady with a _

_Body from outerspace _

_My heart, my heart _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Say I got trouble _

_Trouble in my eyes _

_I'm just looking for Another good time _

_My heart, my heart _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Yeh, are you ready girls? _

_Yeh, are you ready now? _

_Ooh, yeah _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Give it a start _

_Ooh, yeah, baby _

_Ooh, yeah _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Hope it never stops _

_Ooh, yeah, baby _

_When we started this band _

_All we needed, needed was a laugh _

_Years gone by... _

_I'd say we've kicked some ass _

_When I'm enraged _

_Or hittin' the stage _

_Adrenaline rushing _

_Through my veins _

_And I'd say we're still kickin' ass _

_Ooo, ahh, kickstart my heart _

_Hope it never stops _

_And to think, we did all of this... _

_To rock _

_Ooh, yeah _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Give it a start _

_Ooh, yeah, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-baby _

_Ooh, yeah _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Hope it never stops _

_Ooh, yeah, baby _

_Ooh, yeah _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Hope it never stops _

_Ooh, yeah, baby _

_Ooh, yeah _

_Kickstart my heart _

_Give it a start _

_Ooh, yeah _

_Ok boys, lets rock the house _

In the midst of head banging, Helga noticed that her father had passed her Uncle Ben's ranch. She laughed fully heartedly and screamed over the music "DAD! YOU MISSED THE STUPID RANCH!"

Bob bobbed his head rapidly, his serious face making Helga laugh, "PUT ON SOME MORE MOTLEY CRUE, GIRL!"

"YA DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE!" Helga grinned as she turned on Doctor Feelgood.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A girl rushed out to meet Arnold and his grandpa at the door, a grin upon her face. However, once she saw them, her smile faltered. She quickly composed herself and continued her approach. "Hey strangers. Are you lost?"

Arnold climb out of his seat and gave the girl a curious look. Why did she look so familiar?

Phil smiled and walked around the front of the car to meet her, "Well hello young lady. I'm Phil, and this is my grandson, Arnold."

She smiled and reached out to shake his hand but stopped when she heard Arnold's name. Suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks. "You're Arnie's cousin, right?"

Arnold swallowed a lump in his throat, "Um…yeah."

She nodded, "I knew it. I'm Hilda…remember. We went for a hayride then you got all…weird."

Phil arched an eyebrow at his grandson.

Arnold's face lit up with recognition. "Yes! That's why you look so familiar!"

Hilda shrugged, "I guess so. Are you guys lost?"

Phil sighed, "I'm afraid so."

She giggled, "Well I'd be more than happy to show you the way, but I'm waiting for my cousin. If you guys want to wait I can make sure you-" She stopped talking when she heard music blaring down the road until it faded away. She shook her head and sighed, "Looks like she and her old man got hooked on the tunes. Just a second." She stepped back into her house, "Hey dad!" She shouted from the door.

"Your cousin here, sugar beet?" she heard her father answer.

Hilda rolled her eyes, "Not exactly. An old friend is here and needs some directions. I was just wondering if it would be alright if I stepped out for about twenty minutes."

"Sure thing, sweetheart, just take Blane with you." came the answer.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, dad." She turned back to Arnold and his grandpa. "I gotta go get Blane then I'll be right back."

"Thanks again Hilda." Arnold said with a smile.

As she walked away, Phil's brows scrunched together. _"That's funny. If I didn't know better I'd say that girl was Helga." _His face became concerned as he glanced at his grandson. _"I really hope those kids get a chance to talk it out. Maybe I'll bring Helga over next week so they can have some alone time." _Arnold was blissfully unaware of just how close Helga had become with Arnold's grandparents' in his absence. Then again, if he knew then maybe he'd at least consider his grandpa's reason for her not writing.


	2. Chapter 2

Arnie didn't react much when the Packard pulled up to his house. He blinked one when he saw Arnold open up the door for Hilda, but besides that he didn't react much.

Arnold swallowed a lump in his throat when he saw his cousin, but steeled his nerves and managed to get a smile on his face. "Hi Arnie." Arnold greeted his cousin brightly.

"Hey Arnold." Arnie replied blandly as he stepped off his porch towards his relatives.

Not sure of what else to say, Arnold said, "Sorry we're late. We got a little lost."

"Fourteen minutes. I counted." Arnie finished his sentence with his signature snort.

"Yeah…anyway we ran into Hilda and she gave us directions." Arnold continued. He didn't really know how to act around his cousin. He was almost impossible to read. It was like trying to get an emotional reaction out of a robot.

"That's nice." Arnie stated, his voice still monotone.

Arnold did his best to not frown. He had hoped that time would make his cousin more interesting. However, it just made him more boring. Arnold wasn't sure how he was going to survive an entire summer with him.

Hilda held open the door for Blane, who happened to be a big shaggy sheep dog. On the drive Hilda had explained that Blane was a well trained guard dog and her father was just being over protective in insisting that. "Oh it was no big deal." HIlda said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

Arnold's frown deepened. He didn't understand how she could still like Arnie. After all, what did Arnie have that Arnold didn't, lintball collections and exsiccation with plain flavored gum aside?

Phil had gotten two of Arnold's bags out of the trunk and deposited them at his grandson's feet. "Alright, Shortman, you've got all summer to spend time with your cousin. Give your old grandpa a hug goodbye."

Arnold managed a weak smile. He really didn't want his grandpa to go, but there was really not much point in asking him to stay. He embraced his grandpa tightly and exhaled a shaky breath. "I'll see you grandpa."

Phil smiled and patted Arnold on the back. "I'll see you soon, Shortman. I'll get all your friends together and drag them all here by their teeth if I have to."

Arnold looked over his shoulder to make sure Arnie and Hilda weren't listening. Arnie was showing Hilda a wad of lint from a brown pair of corduroy pants. Hilda just stared at him as he talked, a dreamy smile on her face. Once he was sure they weren't listening he asked, "Do you think you could make…especially sure that Helga comes?"

Phil smiled brightly, "Sure thing, Shortman. I'll drop big old Bob Pataki a line."

Arnold's eyes went wide at this, "Are you sure that's a good idea, grandpa? I mean…you two don't exactly get along."

Phil laughed full-heartedly. "It'll be fine, Shortman. Just have fun with your cousin." Phil had purposely left out the fact that he and Helga's father actually played a noncompetitive round of golf every now and then. Phil wasn't as close to Bob as he was with Helga, but he still considered them friends.

Arnold's face saddened. He was still _not _looking forward to such an excessive amount of time with Arnie, his Aunt Ellie and his Uncle Neil. His aunt and uncle weren't as bad as Arnie. In fact, they would probably be the only ones keeping him sane over the summer. He still would have rather been at home catching up with the gang. "Alright, Grandpa." Arnold finally sighed.

"Hey Hilda, do you and the mongrel want a ride home?" Phil called to the girl.

Hilda smiled widely, "Thanks, Phil, that would be great!" Hilda waved goodbye to Arnold and Arnie before ordering Blane into the back seat.

Arnold waved as they pulled away. He would have been content to stare where they'd been all day, but he was pulled from his thoughts when Arnie snorted and said, "Come on, Arnold. I'll show you some of my lint balls."

Arnold rolled his eyes, "Great." He said, unconvincingly conveying interest.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Thanks for the ride, Phil!" Hilda called as the old man pulled away from her house.

"Don't mention it, young lady! See you around!" Phil called to her as he pulled away.

Hilda sighed and scratched behind Blane's ears before going into her house. It was a lot bigger than most of the other kids' houses, but that was sort of to be expected. After all, her father _did _own quite the ranch. "Hey daddy, did Uncle Bob and Aunt Miriam get here?" she called as she walked in the door.

She didn't get far before a pair of arms wrapped around her neck and a pair of knuckles made her victim to a noogie. "What do you think, cuz?" Helga laughed playfully.

Blane barked loudly and rushed at Helga.

Helga instantly released her cousin, "No. No no no no no no-" Before she could finish telling the dog off, he had pounced on top of her, attacking her face with kisses. "NO! Blane get off of me!"

Hilda laughed and yanked Blane away by his collar. "It's a good thing that he loves you more than anyone else here."

Compressing her mouth shut, Helga sat still and allowed the dog to cover her face with slobbery kisses.

A familiar gasp interrupted Hilda's laughter as Olga entered the enterence hall. "Baby sister, why are you letting that animal do that to you? Get off of her, you big silly thing!"

A flash of snapping jaws caused Olga to scream and jump back.

Helga bit back a laugh before scratching Blane's sweet spot, making him calm down. "I guess he just doesn't like you, Olga."

Olga managed a smirk, "It's probably because you spend so much time with you silly old people and their herd of animals."

"They aren't _their _animals, Olga." Helga retorted with a laugh.

Olga looked confused, "Then whose are they?"

"Abner is theirs, but the rest of them…well no one really knows." Helga admitted, with a shrug.

Hilda's mother, Helga and Olga's Aunt Marianne entered the hall with a wide grin. "What are you girls doing out here?"

"Oh nothing much, auntie Mari." Olga practically sang.

Helga arched a brow at her sister, "Do you have to add an 'ee' after everything?"

"Whatever are you talking about, baby sister?" Olga asked.

"Mommy, daddy, auntie. Doesn't it get old?" Helga pressed.

Marianne chuckled and placed a firm hand on Helga's shoulder, "Be nice to your sister."

Helga rolled her eyes, "Yeah, whatever."

"Nice of your kid to finally show up, sis." Bob chuckled playfully as he pulled his younger sister into a headlock.

Marianne punched Bob in the stomach with a laugh and he released her, "Would you shut up, ya big turnip?"

"Good thing you weren't a boy." Helga joked, gently elbowing Olga in the ribs. "That would be us in twenty years."

"Luckily these two got _my_ good looks." Marianne said with a grin as she linked an arm around Helga and Hilda's necks.

Bob laughed, "_Your _good looks? You all look like gran-gran."

Big Bob Pataki was right of course. If you looked back at family photos you could clearly see the resemblence between Marianne, Hilda, and Helga. Marianne had her father's brown eyes, but Helga and Hilda had both inherited grandmother Millie's blue eyes. There wasn't much difference between them, save for the fact that Hilda's hair was lighter, bleached by the sun, and Helga had pierced her ears, along with an industrial piercing. Hilda didn't even have her ears pierced.

Marianne stuck her tongue out at her brother, "Shut up, ya big oaf."

"What are we all doing in here?" Marianne's husband laughed from the doorway to the living room.

"Just greeting your daughter, Uncle Ben." Helga piped up cheerfully.

Ben smiled widely, "Wonderful. That means Hilda and I can show you your horse."

Helga's face became serious, "My what now?"

Hilda squealed excitedly, "Yes! You _finally _get to meet Howl!"

"Howl?" Helga repeated, growing more confused. "Uncle Ben, what do you mean _my_ horse?"

Ben shrugged, "Well you've come to stay for at least a month every year for the past two years. That and this is a ranch. We can take care of him for you. It's our gift to you."

Helga waited a minute to let the words sink in. "You're giving me a horse?"

"Yes, honey, we are." her aunt answered hesitantly.

"A horse named…Howl?" Helga pressed on.

Hilda swallowed a lump in her throat. "That was my idea. I thought you'd like it. I mean you said that Howl's Moving Castle was one of your favorite books and I just thought…just thought…you'd-" Hilda didn't get a chance to finish her sentence before her cousin squealed and pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

"You guys are the best!" Helga exclaimed as she released her cousin to hug her aunt.

Ben laughed, "Well I'm glad you're excited.

"Can I go see him?" Helga asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet to hug her uncle.

Her aunt laughed, "You can see him after dinner."

"Well if you have a horse now I guess you're gunna need a pair of these, little lady." Bob said with a smirk as he held up a pair of black and pink cowboy boots.

Helga's mouth fell open, "Dad!"

He shrugged, "Your mom picked them out. I just paid for them."

"They're totally boss, dad." Helga hugged her dad. "I'm gunna go thank mom." She grinned and rushed to the kitchen where Miriam was peeling potatoes.

Bob smirked as Helga rushed away before wrapping an arm around his sister's neck. "Hey, thanks for doing this."

Ben playfully punched his brother-in-law's arm, "Anything for family, Pataki."

"Just make sure she doesn't work too hard and has some fun." Bob chided.

Marianne patted her brother's back, "Don't worry, Bob. We'll take care of her."

Helga came rushing back into the group, a grin still plastered on her face, "Hey, can Hilda and I go riding?"

Hilda rolled her eyes, "You already know the answer, Helga."

Helga stuck her tongue out at her cousin before turning her big pleading eyes onto her uncle and aunt. Ben chuckled and shook his head. "How about we _all_ go riding after dinner?"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Miriam chimed in, wiping her hands off on her apron.

"A-all of us?" Olga asked cautiously.

"Afraid you'll have fun?" Helga challenged her sister playfully.

Bob messed up Helga's hair, "Play nice, little lady."

Helga would normally retort cleverly, but she was too excited about meeting her horse after dinner to care about being witty and sarcastic. "What're we doing waiting around here for? Let's all help with dinner!"

Miriam chuckled, "Excited about meeting your first horse?"

"I wouldn't have a first horse if it wasn't for you guys." Helga replied with a grin. "Come on, let's get to work!"

Bob shook his head and smirked, "You'd never know most of her friends think she's the badass of the group."

"That's because I _am _the badass of the group, old man." Helga replied playfully. "I'll fight you right now if I have to!"

"Just because Miriam and I let you throw the occasional kegger doesn't mean that you're a badass." Bob laughed.

"No, that just means I have boss parents." Helga said with a smile.

Bob pinched her cheek, "Being a suck up isn't gunna put me in the kitchen."

"I'm actually not sucking up." Helga stuck out her tongue. "Olga, you'll help, right?"

Olga smiled, "I'd just love to, baby sister."

Hilda shrugged and followed in suit, "Eh, what the hell, why not?"

**Thanks for all your reviews guys! Stick around for chapter three. That's when plotlines merge. And don't forget to review and stuff!**


	3. Chapter 3

Helga had just finished mucking out Howl's stall, filling his water, giving him oats and hay, and currying his shiny coat. She could hardly believe that he was actually hers. She had an even harder time believing how much she already loved him. He was a big and powerful creature, his withers standing well over her head. Still, he was a gentle giant, patient and forgiving, which was good because while Helga could ride, she still wasn't the best equestrian.

She rubbed behind one of his ears before putting a halter over his head, attaching the lead rope, and taking him to graze. Helga could hear Hilda hard at work tossing clumps of hay into the horses' feeding baskets from the upper level of the stable.

With a shake of her head, Helga continued down the aisle, occasionally reaching out to pet a horse as she passed. When they reached the gate to the field, her uncle managed to cut her off, pushing a wheelbarrow full of hay in her path. "What're you doing, young lady?" He asked shortly.

"Uh I was just taking Howl out to pasture." She answered hesitantly. "Why do you ask? Does he but heads with any of the other horses?"

Ben chuckled lightly at his niece, "No, he's a good one. That's not what I was asking."

Helga was just getting more and more confused, "What're you asking then?"

"You mucked out his stall?" Her uncle asked.

"Yeah."

"Filled his water and food buckets?"

"Yeah."

"Brushed him out?"

Helga was growing tired out the questions, "Yeah, Uncle Ben, I did. Why can't I put him out to pasture?"

Ben pulled off one of his gloves and touseled her hair, messing up her pigtails and earning a scowl. "It's just your first day! And you're supposed to be getting at least _some _R and R. Your dad wouldn't let me hear the end of it if you didn't. How about you go get a book or something and take Howl out for a ride?"

Helga furrowed a brow, "But what about the rest of the horses?"

Ben laughed full heartedly, "Girl, we have stable hands for that. If you wanna work then you're more than welcome to, just not on the first day."

"So you're kicking me out?" Helga challenged.

Ben smiled, "There you go! Now go and pack a lunch before you saddle this stud."

Helga gave her uncle a face that was a hybrid of a smile and a scowl before returning to the house to obey his orders.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Arnold didn't know how much more of it he could take! It had been one day. Just _one _day and he already felt like ripping his own ears off and throwing himself into a lake.

_If I have to hear one more story about the pair of pants he got this lint out of I swear I'm going to go insane and murder him._ Arnold thought to himself. However, once he made the thought he found himself regretting it. He couldn't murder his cousin. Not under a sane mind at least.

There was a knock at the door that pulled Arnie away from his collection. Arnold released a relieved sigh and considered burning each and every stupid lint ball that Arnie had sprawled out across the dining room table.

The pleasant thought was interrupted when Arnie returned, his arm wrapped around Lulu's waist.

"Arnold, you remember Lulu?" Arnie snorted.

Arnold did his best to not wince. He remembered her alright. She made his skin crawl, and not in a good way. "Yeah." He finally managed to answer, "Yeah I remember Lulu."

Lulu smiled flirtatiously and leaned in towards Arnold, "It's ever so great to see you again." She said cheerfully.

"Yeah, you too Lulu." Arnold managed to say.

Arnold's Aunt Ellie appeared in the doorway and managed a small smirk. "Arnie, dear, do you think you could run to the store for me?"

Arnie blinked at his mother before snorting, "Sure mom. Lulu, let's go."

Lulu looked letdown. "Arnold, would you like to come?"

"N-no thanks, Lulu." Arnold stammered. "If it's alright I'd like to stay and get caught up with my aunt."

Ellie gave her son a list and sent him and his girlfriend on their way. She smiled at her nephew and sat across the table from him. "You don't want to be here, do you Arnold?"

"What? No no, I'm having a great time." Arnold lied unsuccessfully.

His aunt's smile widened. "Arnold, I wasn't born yesterday. I packed you a lunch. Why don't you go and explore _outside _of town."

"You mean…I can just go?" He asked hesitantly.

"Arnold, I want you to have a nice time here. Being stuck here with Arnie isn't accomplishing that." She smiled.

Arnold grinned and threw himself into his aunt's arms. "Thanks Aunt Ellie, you're the best."

She smiled and patted her nephew's shoulder, "Alright alright, no time to get all lovey and mushy. I have your lunch packed."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Arnold shouted as he ran from the horse nipping at him. Arnold knew that he was in the middle of the country, almost in the middle of _nowhere _now, but where had this horse come from? He didn't understand? The horse didn't have its ears laid back or its teeth bared, but it still kept trying to bite him.

At least, that's what Arnold though. Little did he know, the animal was simply begging for the apple in his pocket.

Helga had been climbing a tree when she heard the commotion. She rolled her eyes before climbing down. She'd been hoping that she was alone, but apparently, she was wrong.

Then…she saw him.

Time stopped and her heart pounded. Helga had done everything she could to get over Arnold. She'd talked about him at therapy to no end. That didn't help her resolve her feelings. She'd dated other people. That had just opened a bad can of worms that she wanted to forget about. She didn't obsess over him like she used to. She didn't wear her locket anymore, finding it a painful reminder and she most _definitely _didn't have her shrine. Thinking back, even she thought she was insane for keeping a shrine to him in her closet and attic. Still, there was that lingering feeling. It had faded with his absence, but seeing him brought the feelings back in a flood.

As soon as time started up again, she realized that her horse was chasing after him, trying to nuzzle his pocket.

Helga had to laugh. Obviously Arnold didn't know much about horses.

"Need some help?" She called.

He frantically searched for the speaker. When he saw her, she waved with a smirk upon her face.

Relief flooded his face, "Thank god! Hilda, can you get this thing away from me?"

Helga didn't noticed that he had called her Hilda. She laughed and shook her head, "Just stand still for a minute."

His nose scrunched up, "Are you crazy?"

"Just do it!" She ordered, jumping off of her limb and onto the ground.

Arnold winced before he finally obeyed. He was surprised when the horse didn't nuzzle him but kept going for his pocket. "What do I do?" Arnold asked frantically.

"What's in your pocket?" she snapped.

"Carrots!" Came the frightened reply.

"Give him a few and he'll leave you alone." She laughed.

Arnold swallowed a lump in his throat, but obeyed. After Howl finished his snack, he trotted back to the patch of dry land where he had been rolling in the dust before.

"Thanks." Arnold said, finally releasing the breath he'd been holding. "I didn't know you had a horse, Hilda."

Helga's smile instantly vanished. "What?"

"That's not your horse?" He gestured to where Howl was.

"No, he's my horse, I just…what?" She repeated.

His brows furrowed. "Hilda, are you ok?"

_Ok Helga old girl, you can do this. Just say 'yes, Arnold, I'm fine, but I'm not Hilda. Hilda's my cousin. I'm Helga Pataki. Just say 'I'm Helga Pataki'. _

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." she feigned a smile.

Inside she was kicking herself. _Way to go, geek bait._ She thought to herself.


End file.
